Paroxysmal compulsion to handle keys in a computer operator due to meningioma in the left supplementary motor area

We describe the case of a computer operator who experienced paroxysmal attacks several times in which she felt a compulsion to handle keys with her right hand or actually her right hand moved involuntarily in a key-handling rhythm. Cranial CT and MRI revealed a mass lesion in the left medial aspect of the frontal lobe (supplementary motor area). After the removal of this tumor (meningioma), there were no more paroxysmal attacks. We suggest that voluntary movements controlled by the supplementary motor area were deranged by seizures provoked by the tumor. This case is attractive in relation to obsessive-compulsive disorder.